Pasco 4-year-old faces permanent limp after dog attack

A 4-year-old boy might walk with a permanent limp after he was attacked by a family dog Monday evening, according to a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report.

Dylan Robert Medlock was left at home with his uncle's girlfriend while his mother went to run errands about 4 p.m., the report said.

Pamela Pelham, 27, told deputies she was walking Dylan toward the house from the front yard when Bo the dog got loose from his chain and ran up to them.

The dog, a pit bull mix, knocked down the boy and began playing with him, but the youngster kicked at Bo, a report said. That's apparently when Bo started biting the boy, and Pelham couldn't immediately get the dog away from the him, the report said.

Once she finally did get the dog off the boy, she told Dylan to go into the house, but she noticed he couldn't walk "because it appeared that Bo had broke the bones of Dylan's left leg," a report said.

Pelham couldn't call for help, she told deputies, because she doesn't have a phone, but 20 minutes later her boyfriend, Joseph Reaves, 27, came home. Reaves called his sister, Dylan's mom, and told her the boy had been bitten by the dog.

Mary Reaves, 24, hurried home and rushed Dylan to the Florida Hospital Zephyrhills after she saw the injuries.

"Mary said her son's leg looks really bad," the report said.

She couldn't be reached for comment today.

Dylan, according to the report, had bites with punctures and bruising to his right biceps and right forearm. He had a bite on his lower left leg, causing tearing to the skin and muscle. Bo, the report states, also broke Dylan's left leg in two places.

A registered nurse told deputies the boy had surgery and will likely limp the rest of his life.

Denise Hilton, Pasco County Animal Services manager, said she hadn't yet seen the dog to confirm its breed. It was expected to arrive at the shelter in Land O' Lakes late this afternoon to be quarantined for 10 days while it's observed for rabies.

Dylan, his mother and uncle and Pelham live at 8825 Brazil St. According to Joseph Reaves, Bo had never been aggressive before. He told deputies Bo likes to play tug-of-war with his shoes or pant legs but had never bitten anyone.

Joseph Reaves told authorities he would cooperate with Animal Control and would put the dog down if needed. The dog is not up to date with its vaccines and isn't properly licensed, he told deputies.

Hilton confirmed that Reaves had relinquished ownership of Bo and that it would be "humanely" euthanized after its quarantine period.

Reaves could face a citation for not vaccinating the dog. A first-offense citation would cost less than $200, Hilton said.

Tom Jackson

Tom Jackson’s baseball card — if he had one — would report he throws left, writes right. In his columns and blog, “The Right Stuff,” southpaw Jackson provides insight into the evolving human condition from a distinctly conservative point of view.Column | Blog